One reporter recently reached out to a team of scientists to test for toxic air pollution coming from her kitchen stove — and she was shocked by the results.
Natural gas, which is mostly composed of methane, is a popular fuel source for home appliances, especially kitchen stoves. However, it produces pollution that has been linked to childhood asthma, along with a host of other health issues.
Laura Klivans of KQED chose Eric Lebel and Yannai Kashtan from research nonprofit PSE Healthy Energy to investigate the potential pollution.
"Lebel and Kashtan rolled up on a rainy and cold November morning with what was essentially a mobile air testing lab in the back of a car," Klivans recounted in a recent article. "They unlooped three long, clear tubes and wove them from the car, through our front doorway, and into three separate rooms: the kitchen, living room and kids' room."
Klivans and the scientists were testing for several types of pollution, but the two main ones they focused on were nitrogen dioxide and benzene. Nitrogen dioxide is a respiratory system irritant, while benzene causes cancer.
The team tested several cooking scenarios in Klivans' kitchen. They started by plugging in an electric induction burner and boiling water that way to establish a baseline. With the induction burner, there was no increase in nitrogen dioxide or benzene.
Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home's indoor air quality?
Next, they tested the air when one burner was on, when the hood was used at the same time as a single burner, and when two burners and the oven were running with the hood on — their approximation of holiday meal prep.
They discovered shocking levels of toxins polluting the kitchen, living room, and children's room almost equally. Even with the hood on, the nitrogen dioxide exceeded the recommended limits for chronic daily exposure within minutes, and there was also a dangerous spike in benzene.
"Our experiments showed me the value of limiting how often I use our gas stove and that I could reduce the risk of exposure to harmful gases by using a plug-in single burner cooktop or other electric appliances like a slow cooker more frequently than the gas range," said Klivans.
Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
As an alternative to gas stoves and their toxic pollution, homeowners can use induction burners from brands like Copper. They're simple and inexpensive, and they produce no air pollution while cooking. Not only that, they actually cook faster than a traditional stove.
The Inflation Reduction Act can get you up to 30% off the price of an induction range. However, you should act fast to take advantage of it. President Trump has expressed that he intends to end the IRA in the future, per the Salt Lake Tribune. Though it would take an act of Congress to do so, it is a possibility.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.